Sometimes
by snowyplains
Summary: Sometimes, you start thinking, and... (mostly NS)


Title: Sometimes  
Author: snowyplains  
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own them, or Technicolor.  
Rating: PG, but really, I think G would suffice.  
  
Sometimes, when he gets to work and bumps into her, he is embarassed. Embarassed that he dreamt about her last night in vivid technicolor. Embarrased that his mind, even at its most dormant stage, still spared no expense in order to create the most realistic fantasy world possible. So graphically realistic that upon awaking, he is often convinced, at least for a few minutes, that she is actually there.

He has slept next to her a few times. When she is driving, and he nods off on the way to a crime scene. It is not exactly the same.

Sometimes, he thinks that if he could get one night with her, he'd die happy. He knows this is not true. One night would never be enough. It would, in fact, be worse that what he had now because he would know exactly what he could never have again.

He sees her, standing some distance away from him. He knows he will never ask her out. She is in pursuit of someone else. If through some convuluted series of events, they end up dating, he knows it wouldn't likely last. She'd be gone in a second if she knew that someone returned her feelings.

He knew that the best he could ever be was second best. He wasn't her type. Heck, she even wasn't his type. But that was precisely why he liked her so much. She wasn't like everyone else he had ever been in relationships with.

Sometimes though, something happens that makes him think he's been way off about her. That she does think about him in that way. These things are few and far in between. But they happen with a certain kind of consistency that gives him hope. Phone calls, unexpected visits.

He picks up his cellphone now, and dials her number.

"Sidle." she answers tersely.  
  
"It's Nick..." he begins, but she cuts him off, looking down the hall to the clear glass enclosure of their break room.

"You're down the hall. Why are you calling?"

Her voice makes him smile. "It's personal."

"Nick..." she sighs, but he can tell she's trying to suppress her amusement. "...I'm on a case here."

"You've spent 20 minutes standing there. Obviously it isn't so urgent."

"I'm waiting for Greg to come back. What were you doing, timing me?" He hears the smile in her voice this time.

"I saw you standing there 20 minutes ago. 20 minutes later, you're still there." It was nice to be able to talk to her without interruption.

"So you've been watching me." She turns to look at him through the glass of the break room again.

He levels his gaze back at her. "Precisely."

"Why?"

He props his feet up on the coffee table and leans back. "Nice view." That was about as forward as he was planning to get.

She groans. "Is that why you called? To engage in childish banter?"

"Relax. We don't pay for our cell phone bills anyway. They're office issue."

She walks out of his field of vision as she continues on the phone. "Really Nick, why are we on the phone right now? I'm just down the hall, we both have work to do..."

"Forget everything for a second. Are you having fun right now?"

There's a pause on the line as she considers this. "Yeah..."

"Why?"

She laughs. "Well, hearing from you is always nice."

"Seriously now."

"This is a break from work...it was unexpected, and juvenile..." she says pointedly. "...and..." her voice suddenly takes on a quality he can't identify, "...and it's you on the other end."

He smiles again. "Why, thank you, Sara. I never knew you felt that way."

"Yeah well, don't let it get to your head." she snorts sarcastically.

He laughs softly, and hangs up his phone. Sometimes, he really misses her, even though he's never quite had her.

His phone rings.

"Stokes."

"It's Sara. Why aren't you back to work?"

The truth? He had been thinking about her. The party line? "I'm on my break."

"You've been sitting in the break room for half an hour." she teases.

"What were you doing? Timing me?" He smiles.

"Not really." she shoots back. "I've just noticed you've been there for a while."

"Just noticed? Have you been watching me?" he baits her.

He can almost hear her grin on the other end. "Maybe." He hears the soft click indicating the conclusion of the call.

Sometimes, he's sure she's just been playing with him all along.


End file.
